Why Do Black Ferguson Activists Keep Dying?

Edward Crawford, featured in iconic Ferguson photo, was found dead late Thursday.

The father of Edward Crawford — the man who became a hero in Ferguson, Missouri after being photographed in a protest photo throwing a tear gas canister fired by police following the 2014 shooting of Michael Brown — said his son was found dead late Thursday, reports the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Crawford’s father, Edward Sr., confirmed his son’s death [police said the death appears to be the result of a self-inflicted gunshot wound but an autopsy will determine the official cause of death] to the Post-Dispatch. He said his son’s mother called him and they went together to the morgue early Friday to identify their son’s body. Crawford Sr. was in tears Friday as he spoke with a reporter…

In 2014, during the Ferguson protests, Crawford grabbed a smoking tear gas cylinder, fired by police at Ferguson protesters, and threw it back. In a photograph taken by Post-Dispatch photographer Robert Cohen, Crawford became an iconic image of the protests along West Florissant Avenue. Crawford found instant fame after coming forward as the man in the photograph.

1. 2014: Michael Brown’s lifeless body was left in the streets of Ferguson for more than four hours after he was killed by Officer Darren Wilson on August 9.

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2. 2015: Tyrone Harris, 18, was shot in Ferguson Sunday night by police for allegedly attacking them with a firearm. He remains in critical condition and is facing four charges of first-degree assault on law enforcement, five counts of armed criminal action, and one count of discharging a firearm at a motor vehicle.

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3. 2015: Police stand to maintain the crowd after shots rang out on the anniversary of Mike Brown’s death.

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4. 2014: An unarmed protester was approached by police during protests in Ferguson. The image became one of the most memorable of the city’s uprising.

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5. 2015: A woman stands before police with her hands up in the air.

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6. 2014: After the shooting of Mike Brown and the death of Eric Garner, unrest continued to rise in Ferguson. After it was determined that Darren Wilson would not be indicted in the fatal shooting of the teen, protesters took to the streets.

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7. 2015: Since the death of Brown, over 100 men, women, and children of color have been killed by police. Worldwide protests have continued advocating for better training for police officers.

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8. 2014: A woman hit with pepper spray is doused with milk. Ferguson police issued curfews for protesters after incidents of arson and looting occurred during peaceful protests in the city.

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9. 2015: A year later, protesters say they too were hit with tear gas while protesting in the streets.

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10. 2014: The National Guard was called into Ferguson to “control” protests.

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11. 2015: A teen is caught in the crossfire during a shooting that took place in Ferguson on the anniversary of Mike Brown’s death.

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12. 2015: St. Louis police with army gear arrive in Ferguson Sunday night.

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Continue reading Photographic Proof Not Much Has Changed In Ferguson Since Michael Brown’s Death

Photographic Proof Not Much Has Changed In Ferguson Since Michael Brown’s Death